Several models have been developed to estimate the risk of mortality following cardiac surgery, including the European System for Cardiac Operative Risk Evaluation (EuroSCORE) (Roques, Eur. J. Cardiothorac. Surg. 15:816 (1999)). These models are limited, however, in their ability to predict death for specific individuals. It has been hypothesized that individual gene polymorphisms can improve the discriminatory ability of EuroSCORE with respect to long-term mortality following coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery (Nilsson, Eur. Heart J. 27:768 (2006)). The present invention results, at least in part, from studies designed to identify genetic polymorphisms associated with altered five-year mortality risk following CABG surgery.